'Q: Having appeared in a career-high 54 games last season, what is your goal heading into training camp? A: Nothing. I'm not really one for setting goals. I just want to go out and play. As far as coming into camp, I just want to be in shape. For me that's not really a goal. It's more mandatory than anything else. I would like to be anywhere under 230 and nine percent body fat.'

‘For what it’s worth, the game will be opposite the Gator Bowl on CBS and Capital One Bowl on ABC, and will come just before the Rose Bowl. It will begin 13 hours into 2008, and I’m wondering if some of those hearty and fervent souls who packed and partied on the plaza outside HSBC Arena before playoff games last spring will have slept a wink in the New Year as they settle into their seats in the stadium.’

‘Sources close to the Sabres claimed the Ice Bowl event was in jeopardy of being scrapped because financing construction and maintenance of an outdoor hockey rink was difficult, but a deal apparently came together this week.’

‘In a made-for-television event — the game will air nationally on NBC — the Penguins and Sabres will skate on an outdoor rink in front of what officials hope will be the largest audience to watch an NHL game in the United States.’

‘A slow start could be seriously damaging to the team’s psyche. The players have to be wondering how good they’re going to be without Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. They’ll learn a lot about themselves in training camp, but I think any team that loses a mammoth part of its identity will remain fragile until it experiences consistent success. If they stumble out of the gate, then they better have their leadership situation settled. October might be as important of a month for Ryan Miller as April or May.’

‘It’s all set. The Sabres are set to ring in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Sources tell 7 Sports the NHL has just about finished off the planning for a New Year’s Day outdoor game in Orchard Park between the Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins.’

After the four years from the mid-’70s come two Dominik Hasek seasons in the early ’90s that happened in a rapidly expanding NHL. The league had added five teams over three seasons, and this depressed the average level of goaltending. Hasek’s two MVP seasons came later, when the NHL was in between expansions and thus did not rank as highly on this list.

‘And the general public — those unwilling to put down a $100-per-seat deposit to land a spot on the season-ticket waiting list — may be shut out completely from the most popular games, including the four games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.’

‘The Sabres second-round pick in the 2006 draft, Weber enjoyed a career junior year with six goals and 28 assists for 34 points split between Windsor and Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League last season. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Weber also showed a rugged style in being issued 172 penalty minutes.’